Horticulture dept. seeks Rs. 300 cr. for Lalbagh

Horticulture dept. seeks Rs. 300 cr. for Lalbagh
Vijay Times

The Horticulture Department will seek an allocation of Rs 300 crore in the coming Budget to take up various projects, Horticulture Minister Sashikant Akkappa Naik has said .

The department has already made a proposal to the Chief Minister to grant the allocation, of which an amount will be utilised to improve infrastructure facilities in Lalbagh, which is celebrating 150 years of establishment as a government botanical garden.

"A series of initiatives are being implemented to commemorate this historic occasion. As many as 150 different species of exotic plants will be planted on the occasion.

Apart from bringing out a special souviner, a commemorative plaque highlighting the names of all important personalities who improved Lalbagh will be engraved in stone. The department will prepare paintings of all existing 1,854 varieties of plants along with their brief history in a book form for the benefit of visitors. Besides, the existing Japanese Garden will be spruced up and an Anthurium House and Insectivorous Plant House will be set up as part the celebrations.

The facility of environment-friendly bicycles will be introduced for the benefit of foreign tourists and a commemorative special postage stamp will be released to mark the occasion, he said.

"A CD containing historic photographs will be brought out shortly," he added.

DDr ri iv ve e a agga ai innsst t sst tr ra ayy d do oggss

Speaking to VVi ijjaay y T Ti immees s, Vasant Kumar, Director, Horticulture Department, said around 10,000 visitors were expected to visit Lalbagh every day during the on-going flower show.

"We have started a drive against the stray dogs in Lalbagh for the safety of domestic and foreign tourists. We request the public not to feed them in the interest of maintaining hygiene in the botanical garden," he said.

A jogging track, providing clean drinking water and toilet facilities, setting-up of a police out-post at LalbaghSiddapur Road entrance, angling facilities for visitors and introduction of a walkers identity card for senior citizens are some of the other initiatives in the pipeline, he said. About boating facilities at the lake in Lalbagh, he indicated that in order to preserve the historical value of the garden, it was decided not to introduce boating.


LALBAGH MAY HAVE

4 Paintings of 1,854 varieties of plants

4 A jogging track

4 Walkers identity card for senior citizens

4 Bicycles for tourists

4 Insectivorous Plant House

4 Police out-post at LalbaghSiddapur Road entrance